The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-03-01

haste should be made about appropriation
bills or that the Senate should be eoerced
from its wise and Well-ordered rules OF bus
mess. He asked that the committee ON ap-
preparations should make statement as TO
the condition of business. -
Statements were thereupon naae py
Messrs. Hale and Allison, showing the OBJ
stacles thrown In the way Oh legislation by
the House.
The presiding officer presented message
from the President in response 10 resolu-
tion of the Senate in reference 70 th9 seizure
and sale of the American schooner heOecca
at Tampico, and also to the resignation OIL
the late minister to Mexico, Mr. jackson,
stating that it is not deemed compatlole
with the public interests" to communicate
the correspondence in either case at present
The naval appropriation bill was lalo De-
fore the Senate and read the first time
Mr.. Edmunds, speaking at great length,
objected to the second reading Oh tne Dill
today.
Speaking of the naval, legislative and
sundry civil bills, Mr.. Allison told OF now
tne House conferees had dailled IA she mat ma!
ter. He said such bills should not De rail-
roaded through and they could not be con,
sidered before Friday noon as they should
be considered. This Is the situation with
reference to these great bills. There are
other bills in conference on which there are
radical disagreements. But they may DC
reconciled. 1t Is however perfectly appar-
ent that several Of these great appropriation
bills cannot reach the President before late
Thursday night; so that (admitting even that
we can get through with these bills by
Thursday night the President must take
them on trust and sign them without read
ing them.
Mr.. Cockrell-How about the deficiency
bills.
Mr.. Allison-The general deficiency bill
has not yet been considered by the House.
That Is long bill. covering many important
items. and in the very nature of things 1t
cannot be considered until the last moments
of the Senate.
Mr.. Hawley-I call your attention also to-
the fOrtifcation bill, covering two years.
Mr.. Allison-The fortifcation bill (which
under the rules of the two houses is one of
the regular appropriation bills and has as
signed to It a definite and conspicuous place.,
has not yet been reported from the commit
tee on appropriations of the House of Rep
resentatives. The fortifcation bill which
we passed last year is now pending in con-
ference between the two houses. How long
the conferees will continue on that, do not
know, but 1t involves very important ques-
tion, so that in the nature Of things these
appropriation bills are in situation now
such as they have never been in before with
in my knowledge in the history Of the two
bodies.
Mr.. Hoar, from the committee on privi
leges and elections, asked that that commit
tee be permitted to report to the next ses-
sion upon power of the President to desig-
nate temporarily, men to perform the duties
of certain offices whose nominations to the
same positions had previously been rejected
by the Senate. Granted.
Upon motion of Mr. Blair, the House labor
arbitration bill was taken up and passed
without amendment.
Upon motion of Mr. Blair, the House bill
to prevent the employment of convict or
alien labor upon public buildings, or public
works or in preparation Of material for pub
lie buildings, or public works, was taken up
and without discussion the amendment was
passed.
Upon motion Of Mr.. Plumb. the House bill
to provide for adjustment of land grants
heretofore made bv Congress and remaining
unadJusted was taken up and after adop-
ton of sundry amendments was passed.
Conference was ordered upon it.
The pluro-pneumonia bill was taken up
and Mr.. Dawes motion to reconsider the
vote by which Edmunds substitute was last
week adopted, was carried. Edmunds' sub
stitute was then rejected, yeas, 21 nays, 20.
Mr.. Butler commenting on the remarkable
change of votes on Edmunds' substitute in
timated that the change was by caucus dicta-
tion, that the bill was offered for the purpose
Of catching votes, and not for passage, etc.
He then asked to have the Clerk read Swim
burne's minority report in the House on the
pleurO-pneum0nia bill, and when objec-
ton was made proceeded to read it himself.
He read slowly, his object being apparently
to take up time, and finished at 4.30 o'clock,
having occupied over an hour. He then
spoke against the bill. The bill was passed,
yeas, 80; nays, 10.
The bill authorizes the President to APP
point board of three cattle commissioners
to be designated ''the United States cattle
commission. The salary of the commits
81 ark 30 h.
sioners are authorized Gin person or by
agents. to enter any premises Including
stockyards scars and veSselS) in which they
have reason to believe that any contagious
disease exists, and to make an investigation
in regard to the same. Upon discovery of
such disease they are to give notice by pub
lcation in the newspapers of its existence,
and of the locality and to notify officials or
agents transportation companies doing bus
iness in the infected locality, and they are to
establish and maintain quarantine of
animals, places and localities and to cause
the animals TO be destroyed, and pay to the
owners of those that were diseased "a of their
appraised value, and to the owners of
those only exposed their full appraised
value, the amount not to exceed S160 in the
case Of pedigreded animal, nor $50 in other
cases. II the appraisement Of the exposed
animal is not satisfactory to the owner, he
must maintain strict quarantine. The COM
missioners are required to make and publish
such rules and regulations, subject to the
approval of the President, as may be deem
ed requisite to a full and due execution of
the act. Penalties are provided against at
tempts to evade or obstruct its execution. A
secretary to the board, with salary Of
S30O0 is to be appointed by the President
Annual and other reports are to be made to
the Commissioners0f Agriculture. Authori-
ty is given for the employment of skilled
veterinarians and other agents and employees
nd fOr ha no n
and of actual and necessary travelling ex-
penses of the commissions and employees.
An appropriation of 81, ,000, 900 is made, and
its disbursements is to be by the secretary
on vouchers approved by the commissioners.
Mr.. Edmunds, from the conference com
mittee on the bill respecting the fisheries,
made long report as to difficulties existing
in conference, and which prevented agree
ment
The irreconcilable point of difference be-
tween the managers on the part of the two
Houses, is reported to be the insistance on
part of the House managers TO add to the
scope of the Senate bill further provisions,
that in the case of injurious treatment to
American vessels in British North American
waters, it shall be within power of the
President to stop intercourse absolutely not
only by water but by land, thus cutting off
continuous movement of railway trains from
the British Provinces to any part of the
United States, and in effect reciprocally from
the United States to the British Dominions.
The Senate managers had felt it to be their
duty to decline to 60 to that extent. II
seemed clear to the Senate managers, and
was not contradicted by the House mana
gers, that the things which the
President was authorized TO do by the
Senate bill were not Interrogation of any
treaty right, or of peaceful intercourse of
nations, and were not done in a spirit of ma
ti0ns, but merely as matter OF counteryal-
ing business regulation. The result of the
conference had been that the House Of Rep
resentatives, though its managers did not
object to the Senate bill, but desired to add
Senate managers were not willing to go to
that extent. The Senate managers had felt
it their duty on this important matter to re-
port this state of things at once to the Sem
ate for its information. The report is signed
by the three Senate conferees, Senators Ed
munds, Frye and Morgan.
After brief discussion the subject was
temporarily dropped, and on motion Of Mr..
Wilson of Iowa, the sSenate bill to prohibit
the mailing of newspapers and other period
icalS was passed.
The Senate at 6.20 p. M, on motion Of Mr.
Edmunds, went into secret session for exc
cutiye business-apparently for the purpose
of resuming with closed doors the discussion
which had been cut short on the report o
conferees on the fishing bill.
After 20 minutes Of secret session the Sen
ate adjourned.
The House went into committee of tn
whole ON the legislative appropriation bill.
Mr.. Hiscock Of New York inquired wheth
er it was possible to pass the pending bi
before Thursday. if it was considered unde
the fve-minute rule.
Mr. hat hrkI k1,.